Door



C. L; POST June 13, `1939.

DOOR

4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 24, 1937 (Zelfde C. L. POST June 13, 1939'.

DOOR

Filed Feb. 24, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 C. L. POST June 13,y 1939.

DOOR

4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 24, 1957 i w I C. L. POST DOOR 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 24, 1957 l Claude 7705 June 13, .1939.

Patented June 13, 1939 PATENT OFFICE DOOR Claude L. Post, Chicago, Ill.y

Application February 24, 1937, Serial No. 127,430

9v Claims.

The invention relates to folding doors and is particularly adapted to beembodied in garage doors and the like.

A primary object of the invention isto provide a door of the kinddescribed which is easy to oper--V ate and which is of relatively simpleconstruction.

One form of the invention is embodied in a door which comprises upperand lower sections slidably and pvotally mounted in vertical` trackways,the construction being such that when the lower section is lifted, theupper section will swing into a substantially horizontal position andthe lower section will assume a position substantially parallel thereto.In, the preferred construction, the upper end of the lower section isnot hinged directly to the lower end of the upper section but mechanismspaced fromthese ends insuresv that the doors will fold and unfold,readily, when-the lower section is raised and lowered, respectively.

Other obects and. advantages will become apparent as the followingdetailed description progresses, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, whereinf Fig. 1 is an elevation of a door which embodies theinvention, the view being taken looking at the inner side of the door.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view taken on substantially the same line as Fig. 2 butshowing the door in its open position. 1

Fig. 4 is an enlargedfragmentary section taken on line 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line 5 of Fig. 3. 'l

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken ysubstantially on the same lineasFig. 2 but showing the door in an intermediate position and showing theupper section of the door partly in elevation.

Figs. 8 and 9 are enlarged fragmentary sections taken substantially onlines 8-8 of Fig. 5, certain parts in the two Views being shown inchanged positions.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary View taken on line IU-IU of Fig. 1. Y

Fig. 11 is a Asection takeny on line I l-II of Fig. 10. I

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on line l2-I2 of Fig.2, and y Fig. 13 is a fragmentary Yhorizontal section` taken on lineI3-I3 of Fig; 2..

Referring to the drawings wherein a garage door which embodies apreferred form of the invention is illustrated, the reference character25 designates generally a wall of the garage provided with a dooropening 26 in which opening a door designated generally by the referencecharacter 21 is mounted. The door 2l comprises upper and lower sections28. and 29, respectively, which, in their closed positions, asillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, close the doorway 26. The sections 28 and29 have their lower ends slidably mounted in vertical trackways 30 atthe sides of the doorway 2B. For this purpose, means is provided formounting rollers 33 at the lower corners of the upper section 28 andmeans` is also provided for mounting rollers 34 at the lower corners ofthe lower section 29,` the rollers 33 and 34 being adapted to ride inthe trackways 30.

The rollers 33 are mounted on pins 35 projecting from brackets 36 fixedto the upper section 28 (Fig. l2). The two lower corners of the uppersection 28 are notched as at 40 to receive portions of the brackets` 36(Fig. 1). The brackets 36 are provided with bosses 4I1 in which arepivotally journalled the upper bent ends 43 of rods 44. The lower endsof the rods 44 are bent as at 45 and are journalled in bosses 46 formedintegral with brackets 41 fixed to the inner side of the lower section29.

Secured in the upper ends of the trackways 30 are blocks 49 in which theupper bent ends 50 of rods 5| are pivoted (Figs. 3, 4 and 7). The lowerends of the rods 5I are bent as at 53 and are pivoted in brackets 54secured to the upper section 28;

Secured to the upper ends of the rods 44 are hook members 55 (Figs. 2,5, 7, 8 and 9). The hook members 55 co-operate with leaf springs 56mounted in the upper ends of the trackways 30. As bestillustrated inFigs. 3, '7, 8 and 9, the construction is such that when the doorsections 28 and 29 are displaced from the positions wherein they areshown in Fig. 'I to the position wherein they are shown in Fig. 3, sothat the door is opened, the hook members 55 travel upwardly and engagethe leaf springs 56 as illustrated in Fig. 8 near the final movement ofopening the door. As the door is brought more and more into its fullyopened position, the hook members 55 travel upwardly on the leaf springs56 until the free ends of the hook members 55 slip over the free ends ofthe leaf springs 56 and are engaged thereby in the manner illustrated inFig. 9. The door is then in its fully opened position as illustrated inFig. 3.

Therollers 34 at the lower corners of the lower section 29 are mountedupon pins 60 projecting from bosses 6| formed integral with brackets 65f which are secured to the lower corners of the door section 29.Interposed between the brackets 65 and the inner surface of the doorsection 29 are reenforcing metallic plates 66 (Figs. 2 and 11)Counterweights 10 suspended from cables 1| are provided preferably tocounterbalance the weight of the door sections 28 and 29. The cables 1lare trained over sheaves 12 journalled in brackets 'i3 which are securedto the inner side of the wall 25 (Figs. 1 and 2). The other ends of thecables 1| are secured to levers 15 (Figs. l, 2, l() and ll). I'he levers15 are pivoted upon bolts 15 mounted in the brackets 41. It will benoted that the levers 15 are provided with rosettes 88 which co-operatewith rosettes 8| formed v in the brackets 41, the construction beingsuch that the bolts 16 may be loosened to permit relative adjustmentbetween the levers 15 and the brackets 4l and then tightened to securethe levers 15 in their adjusted positions. The levers 'i5 are preferablyprovided between their free ends and the bolt 16 with tapering slots 85.It will be noted that the ends of the cables 1| are inserted first intothe slots 85 through the narrow ends thereof and then doubled back asillustrated in Fig. l() so that when the levers 15 are subjected totension, the greater the tension, the more the ends of the cables willwedge in the slots 85 to secure the cables to the levers 15. Thefunction of the levers 15 and the co-operating parts of the brackets 41is to permit the cables 1| to exert a leverage on the lower section 29to urge it in a clockwise direction (Fig. 2) around the rollers 34 sothat the lower section 29 will move easily into the position wherein itis shown in Figs. 1 and 2 when the door 21 is lowered to that position.

As best illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, bars 90 are secured to thetrackways 30 and are engageable by the rods 4 when the door 21 is in itsclosed position. The stops 90 prevent one from pushing the upper end ofthe lower section 29 inwardly by exerting pressure on the outer sidethereof. If an attempt is made to push the upper end of the section 29inwardly, the rods 44 will engage the bars 90 and prevent suchdisplacement of the lower section 29.

The lower section 29 is provided preferably with a handle 92 on theinner side thereof.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, means is provided for locking the door21 in its closed position. This means preferably comprises a lock 95projecting through the upper section 28 and provided upon its inner sidewith a lever 96 which may be actuated manually at any time to unlock Orunlatch the door. A pin 91 projecting from the lever 96 rides in a slot99 formed in a link |08 which is pivoted to the lower end of a rod lillslidably mounted between the inner side of the door section 28 and ametallic plate |03 fixed to the inner side of the upper section 28. Theupper end of the rod is engageable with a detent |05, as best shown inFig. 2, to lock the door in its closed position. A spring |01 yield- 7,ingly urges the rod |0| into its latching position.

The spring |01 has one end secured to the rod |0| and has its other endsecured to the door section 28.

When the door 21 is in its closed position, the upper end of the doorsection 28 has its outer surface abutting against a jamb member ||0secured to the wall 25. A jamb member is provided at the lower end ofthe door opening 26 and is engageable by the outer surface of the lowerend of the door section 29,. The jamb member is not shown in Fig. 3` butisi illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 7, it will be noted that a hook I I5 dependsfrom the ceiling (not shown) of the garage and that Whenthe door 21 isopened, the hook ||5 will engage an aperture ||6 provided in themetallic plate |03.

The operation of the above described door is substantially as follows:If it is assumed that the door is locked in its closed position asillustrated in Figs. l and 2, it will be readily understood that thelever 96 may be manipulated from v the inner side of the door or thatthe lock 95 may be manipulated from the outer side of the door toWithdraw the rod |0| from engagement with the detent |05. The lowersection 29 may then be lifted and as it is being lifted, it lifts theupper section 28, such upper section being tilted slightly toward theleft in Fig. 2 as may be necessary by pressure applied manually theretothrough the lever 96 or otherwise, such tilting of the section servingto swing the rods 5| out of centered position with respect to the planeof the door. However,-as the upper section 28 is pushed upwardly, theaction of the rods 5| pivoting around their bent ends 50 causes the doorsection 28 to swing in a counter-clockwise direction (Figs. 2, 3 and '7)around the axes of the rollers 33 which are travelling upwardly in thetrackways 30. The upper section 28 is pushed upwardly by the doorsection 29 until it assumes the position wherein it is shown in Fig. 3.The hook l5 is then in engagementwith the aperture ||6 of the plate |03and supports the free end of the door section 28. When the door section28- passes from the position wherein it is shown in Fig. 7 to theposition wherein it is shown in Fig. 3, the action of the rods 44 causestheupper end of the door section 29 to swing in a counter-clockwisedirection (Fig. 7) around the axes of the rollers 34 which aretravelling upwardly in the trackways 30. The door section 29 finallyassumes the position wherein it is shown in Fig. 3 and during its nalmovement into this position, the hooks 55 engage the free ends 0f theleaf springs 56 as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. The door will thenremain in the folded position wherein it is shown in Fig. 3 until onepulls downwardly upon the handle 92. The hooks 55 then prevent thebottom end of the door section 28 from immediately following the doorsection 29 so that .the door section 29 will go through its initialopening movement before the hooks 55 are disengaged from the leafsprings 56. The rods 44 and 5| then function in such manner that theupper section 28 follows the lower section 29 as the lower section 29 ispulled downwardly and the door 21 finally assumes the position whereinit is shown in Fig. 2.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, itis to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes,therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in theappended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all noveltyinherent in my invention as broadly as permissible, in view of the priorart. I claim:

l. A collapsible door of the kind described comprising a plurality ofdoor sections arranged one above the other when the door is in itsclosed position, trackways on both sides of the door, a pair ofalignedvrollers on each door section riding in said trackways, a rodpivoted to one of said door sections when said door is in its openposition, said rods cooperating with said rollers to collapse said doorwhen one of said door sections is raised to open said door.

2. A collapsible door of the kind described comprising a plurality ofdoor sections arranged one above the other when the door is in itsclosedY position, trackways on both sides of the door, a pair of alignedrollers on each door section riding in said trackways, a rod pivoted toone oi said door sections, means iixed with respect to the trackways forpivoting the other end of said rod,

a second rod having one of its ends pivoted to one of said doorlsections and having the other of its ends pivoted to another of saiddoor sections, a

hook secured to one of said rods, means engagev able by said hook whenthe door is in its open position to support one end of one of said doorsections when said door is in its open position, and means engageablewith the other end of the last-mentioned door section when it is broughtinto its open position for supporting it.

3. A collapsible door of the kind described comprising two door sectionsdisposed one, above the other when the door is in its closed position,means for guiding said door sections into their open positions in planesextending at an angle to the plane of the door when it is in its closedposition, and means for counterbalancing said door sections including asheave, a cable trained over said sheave and having one of its endssecured to a counterweight, a lever adjustably mounted on the lowersection, the other end oi said cable being fixed to the free end of saidlever and co-operating therewith to urge the lower section into registrywith the upper section when the two sections are in their closedpositions.

4. The combination with an enclosure having an opening therein of acollapsible door of the kind described for said opening comprising twodoor sections disposed one above the other when the door is in itsclosed position and disposed side by side in substantially horizontalposition when the door is in its open position, the lower ends of saiddoor sections being disposed in close proximity to each other when theyare in their o-pen positions, means including means connected to saiddoor sections for guiding them from their closed positions to their openpositions when upward pressure is applied to the lower section andarranged so that the upward movement of the lower section causes theupper section to move upwardly and to swing into substantiallyhorizontal position ahead of the lower section, a sheave mounted in aixed position with respect to said enclosure, a cable trained over saidsheave, a counterweight attached to one end of said cable, and meansfixed to the lower door section and attached to the other end of saidcable, said cable and said counterweight cooperating to urge the lowerdoor section into registry with the upper door section when the two doorsections are in their closed positions.

5. A collapsible door of the kind described comprising two door sectionsdisposed adjacent each other and one above the other when the door is inits closed position, trackways on both sides oi said door, means securedto thelower end of the upperA door section and riding in said trackwaysto pivot said upper door section, means secured to the lower end of thelower door section and riding in said trackways to pivot said lower doorsection, a rod having one of its ends pivoted to the lower end oftheupper door section and having the other of its ends pivoted to the lowerdoor section at a point approximately midway between the upper and lowerends of said lower door section, means comprising a latch device mountedon said rod closely adjacent to the lower end of said upper door sectionfor holding said upper section releasably in raised position, a secondrod having one end pivoted to said upper door section, and means forpivoting the other end of said second rod at a point fixed with respectto said trackways, said rods co-operating with said means riding in saidtrackways to guide the upper and lower sections into open positions atan angle to their closed positions and with their lower ends adjacenteach other.

6. A collapsible door of the kind described comprising two door sectionsdisposed adjacent each other and one above the other when the door is inits closed position, trackways on both sides of said door, means securedto the lower end of the upper door section and riding in said trackwaysto pivot said upper door section, means secured to the lower end of thelower door section and riding in said trackways to pivot said lower doorsection, a rod having one of its ends pivoted to the lower end of theupper door section and having the other of its ends pivoted to the lowerdoor section at a point approximately midway between the upper and lowerends of said lower door section, a second rod having one end pivoted tosaid upper door section, means for pivoting the other end of said secondrod at a point xed with respect to said trackways, said rodsco-operating with said means riding in said trackways to guide saidupper and lower sections into open positions at an angle to their closedpositions and with their lower ends adjacent each other, spring meansfixed with respect to said trackways, and means co-operating with saidspring means to support one end of one of said door sections when saiddoor is in its open position.

7. A collapsible door of the kind described comprising two door sectionsdisposed adjacent each other and one above the other when the door is inits closed position, trackways on both sides of said door, means securedto the lower end of the upper door section and riding in said trackwaysto pivot said upper door section, means secured to the lower end of thelower door section and riding in said trackways to pivot said lower doorsection, a rod having one of its ends pivoted to the lower end of theupper door section and having the other of its ends pivoted to the lowerdoor section at a point approximately midway between the upper and lowerends of said lower door section, a second rod having one end pivoted tosaid upper door section, means for pivoting the other end of said secondrod at a point fixed with respect to said trackways, said rodsco-operating with said means riding in said trackways to guide saidupper and lower sections into open positions at an angle to their closedpositions and with their lower ends adjacent each other, spring meansiixed with respect to said trackways, and means l carried by one of saidrods and co-operating with saidl spring means to support one end of oneof said door sections when said door is in its open position.

8. A collapsible door of the kind described comprising two door sectionsdisposed adjacent each other and one above the other when the door is inits closed position, trackways on both sides of said door, means securedto the lower end of the upper door section and riding in said trackwaysto pivot said upper door section, means secured to the lower end of thelower door section and riding in said trackways to pivotA said lowerdoor section, a rod having one of its ends pivoted to the lower end ofthe upper door section and hav ing the other of its ends pivoted to thelower door section at a point approximately midway between the upper andlower ends of said lower door section, a second rod having one endpivoted to said upper door section, means for pivoting the other end ofsaid second rod at a point Xed with respect to said trackways, said rodsco-operating with said means riding in said trackways to guide the upperand lower sections into open positions at an angle tol their closedpositions and with their lower ends adjacent each other when upwardpressure is applied to the lower section and arranged so that the upwardmovement of the lower section causes the upper section to move upwardlyand to swing into its angular open position ahead of the lower section,and means for counter-balancing said door sections including a sheave, acable trained over said sheave and having one of its ends secured to acounterweight, a lever mounted on said lower section, the other end ofsaid cable being fixed to the free end of said lever and co-operatingtherewith to urge the lower section into registry with the upper sectionwhen the two sections are in their closed positions.

9. A collapsible door of the kind described comprising two door sectionsdisposed adjacent each other and one above the other when the door is inits closed position, trackways on both sides of said door, means securedto the lower end of the upper door section and riding in said trackwaysto pivot said upper door section, means secured to the lower end of thelower door section and riding in said trackways to pivot said lower doorsection, a rod having one of its ends pivoted to the lower end of theupper door section and having the other of its ends pivoted to the lowerdoor section at a point approximately midway between the upper and lowerends of said lower door section, a second rod having one end pivoted tosaid upper door section, means for pivoting the other end of said secondrod at a point fixed with respect to said trackways, said rodsco-operating with said means riding in said trackways to guide the upperand lower sections into open positions at an angle to their closedpositions and with their lower ends adjacent each other, and means forcounter-balancing said door sections including a sheave, a cable trainedover said sheave and having one of its ends. secured to a counterweight,and a lever adjustably mounted on said lower section, the other end ofsaid cable being Xed to the free end of said lever and co-operatingtherewith to urge the lower section into reg istry with the uppersection when the two sections are in their closed positions.

CLAUDE L. POST.

